At a certification program of women who have undergone six weeks training on ‘Positive Parenting for Peace and Social Cohesion’, the Regional Manager of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in Kono District, Hawanatu Omotayo Kamara has called on women and care givers of Sinnah Town community to embrace peace and join the Commission in the fight against corruption.
The programme, which was held at the Lutheran School Hall, Sinnah Town, Koidu City, on Saturday 2nd September 2023, was organised by FOCUS 1000 with support from the UNICEF Peace Building Fund.
In her address, Mrs Kamara said that the ACC as the lead institution in the fight against corruption in the country is mandated to prevent, investigate, eradicate and suppress all forms of corruption. She also said that this mandate does not only stop with public institutions or public officers but also members of the informal sector. The ACC has been meeting with women in the district on corruption prevention and public education, she averred.
The Regional Manager further noted that collaboration and partnership in the fight against graft is an important component of the anti-corruption campaign, adding that, the Commission is only taking the lead in the fight against corruption. “We will only succeed with support from members of the public, especially women,” she said.
Mrs. Kamara said that the 2021 Mid-Term Population and Housing Census shows that there are more women in Sierra Leone than men, and that “if women are at the fore in fighting corruption and say no to it, its occurrences will be minimized considerably.”
The Regional Manager emphasized that corruption is one of the major causes of the eleven years brutal civil war in Sierra Leone due to unequal distribution of wealth and embezzlement of funds, as resources meant for development were siphoned by people placed in positions of trust. “It was also the case that corruption was endemic and widespread and service delivery was marred by bribery,” she added. The ACC, according to the Manager, has engaged service delivery institutions in the district and has recommended best practices in order to rid the institutions of corrupt practices. She assured the women and all present of the Commission’s unconditional commitment to fight corruption at all levels in Sierra Leone.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the District Manager of FOCUS 1000, Patrick Mansaray, said that the rationale behind the training is to instil positive parenting, peace and promote social cohesion in the minds of the women, who in turn should train their children and other children within their communities. She said that the negative impact of corruption would be infused in the module for the next set of women to be trained.
